Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
National median · BLS
$45,930
▲ +2.89%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$46,800
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
961,610
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$35,930
25th
$38,570
Median (50th)
$45,930
75th
$50,580
90th — top pay
$60,530
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
BLS projects employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants to grow 4.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 89,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
979,000 → 1,026,100
+47,100 jobs
Projected change
+4.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
89,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.2% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Speaking4.0
Active Listening3.9
Service Orientation3.6
Reading Comprehension3.5
Complex Problem Solving3.1
Coordination3.1
Critical Thinking3.1
Time Management3.1
Writing3.1
Monitoring3.0
Top knowledge areas
Customer and Personal Service4.4
English Language4.3
Administrative3.9
Medicine and Dentistry3.6
Personnel and Human Resources3.4
Computers and Electronics3.4
Administration and Management3.3
Economics and Accounting3.0
Software and technology used
Henry Schein DentrixMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareeClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsGoogle DocsIntuit QuickBooksMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordAccounts payable softwareAccounts receivable softwareAddressing softwareAllscripts PayerpathAllscripts Professional PM
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What medical secretaries and administrative assistants do
Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
Complete insurance or other claim forms.
Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
Also called
Medical ReceptionistMedical SecretaryUnit ClerkUnit Support RepresentativeClinic Office AssistantFront Desk ReceptionistMedical Office SpecialistPhysician Office SpecialistSecretaryWard Clerk
More job titles for this occupation (38)
Administrative Support SpecialistAppointment SchedulerCertified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMMA)Client Service CoordinatorClinic ReceptionistDental Front Desk ReceptionistDental Front Office CoordinatorDental Office ReceptionistDental ReceptionistDental SecretaryFront Desk AgentGuest Service RepresentativeHospital Admissions ClerkHospital ReceptionistHospital SecretaryHospital Unit ClerkInsurance VerifierIntake CoordinatorMedical Administrative AssistantMedical Administrative SpecialistMedical Biller CoderMedical Billing CoderMedical Billing SpecialistMedical Front Desk ReceptionistMedical Front Desk SpecialistMedical Front Office ReceptionistMedical Office ClerkMedical Office ReceptionistMedical Office SecretaryMedical Office WorkerMedical Records ClerkMedical SchedulerPsychiatric SecretaryReception Technician (Reception Tech)SchedulerSurgery SchedulerVerification SpecialistWard Secretary
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $45,930.
